Reusable bolt electronic seal module with GPS/cellular phone communications and tracking system

摘要

An electronics circuit first portion is entirely within an electronics module housing, sensing and transmitting a tamper condition of a normally locked bolt. The bolt comprises a second portion of the electronics circuit. The seal electronics circuit first portion comprises a seal monitoring, tracking and communications system. The bolt passes through the module housing and is secured with a locking device external the module such that the module is reusable when the bolt is severed. The bolt and module housing include a cooperative contamination sealing arrangement for sealing the bolt to the housing. The electronics circuit first portion includes RFID tamper detection circuitry, GPS, Wi Fi and cell phone communication and tracking technologies. The cell phone technology tracks the seal using cell phone towers and Wi Fi access points and communicates the seal tracked position and seal status data to a cell phone communications center.

主权项

1. An electronic security bolt seal with a reusable electronics module for locking a hasp comprising:
an electronics circuit having first and second portions; an electronic module comprising a housing having a cavity, the first portion of the electronics circuit being entirely in the cavity for monitoring a tamper status of the seal; a bolt having a head and an elongated shank engaged with the housing cavity, the bolt including the second portion of the electronics circuit engaged with the first portion of the electronics circuit, the bolt for carrying a current from and to the first portion of the electronics circuit for completing the electronics circuit and for engaging the hasp to be locked; the bolt and module being arranged such that the bolt passes through the module; a bolt locking device engaged with and locked to a tip region of the bolt that protrudes from the module to secure the module to the bolt in a locked state and to lock the bolt to the hasp, wherein the bolt locking device includes a thermoplastic shell with a collar that spans between a locking body and the housing of the electronic module for preventing the electronic module from moving along the elongated shank of the bolt; a conical sealing element on the bolt forming a tapered region surrounding the bolt; the module housing having a first inlet aperture for receiving the bolt, the bolt for extending through the cavity in the locked state; the tapered region being engaged with the first inlet aperture forming a contamination sealing arrangement for sealing the module housing cavity from ambient region contamination in the locked state; the locked state for locking the tapered region so as to seal the first inlet aperture; wherein when the bolt is in the locked state, the electronics circuit senses the integrity of the bolt, manifesting the seal tamper status, and the bolt has an exposed region external to the module for selective severing of the bolt at the exposed region to interrupt the electronics circuit second portion while unlocking the seal from the hasp and releasing the module from the bolt for subsequent reuse of the module; a tracking and communications system employing the electronics circuit first portion attached to the module for communicating the seal tamper status and the seal's position to a communications center.